UK: 13 die in care home in suspected COVID-19 outbreak

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - Thirteen elderly residents of a care home in Scotland have died in a week during the new coronavirus outbreak, according to local reports.

The Burlington Court Care Home in Glasgow’s Queenslie area said two of their staff members have tested positive for the virus, and they are currently receiving treatment in hospital.

“With deep sadness, we can confirm that 13 residents have passed away over the past seven days,” the Four Seasons Health Care, which runs the care home, reported as saying by The Scottish Sun.

The 90-bed site houses old age pensioners and people with epilepsy, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

A spokeswoman for the care home said the staff was "closely monitoring" the health of other residents and workers.

All of those who died had underlying health conditions, and their families have been made aware of “possible COVID-19 association”, according to The Daily Record.

The death toll in the U.K. due to the fatal virus stands at 4,313, with a record number of 708 deaths recorded on Saturday.

After first appearing in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the virus has spread to at least 181 countries and regions.

The global death toll from the virus has hit over 60,100, with more than 1.1 million confirmed cases and over 233,600 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.